


Mercenary Magic

by RogueDruid (Icarius51)



Category: DCU (Comics), Justice League Dark (Comics), Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Magic, Not Canon Compliant, Pyromania, Self-Insert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-27 08:00:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17158253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Icarius51/pseuds/RogueDruid
Summary: Not my world, not my problem, right?"God I wish that was true."





	Mercenary Magic

_ “The first time I used Pyromancy, I think I was burning to death.” _

* * *

I woke up when the smoke alarm went off, and took a minute to get my bearings. My apartment was hazy, smoke coming in through both the furnace vent on the floor, and the top edge of the door.

 

“Oh. Shit.” 

 

I scrambled to get the essentials: wallet, pants, keys, shoes. I pulled them on in a rush, not caring to take my usual leisurely time as I yanked a leather jacket on, as it was at least slightly fire resistant. I paused and considered my exit. The window in my apartment was to the small interior courtyard, not where I want to be, particularly since a rushed glance showed the half dead garden there was already on fire. Yeah, no.

 

I glanced around and grabbed the towel I had from my small kitchenette, running under water before tying it like a bandana and glancing round. Fuck...

 

I grabbed my laptop, sliding it in my carrier bag and grabbing the cord as well. I had so much stuff saved to it, and losing it would set me back, in school and work, for weeks if not longer.

 

I rushed to my door, and put my hand on the wood, testing the temperature. Not hot. Good. I braced myself and pushed my way out into the hallway. Most of my floor was already empty, that was probably one part because I was in what may as well have been student housing, and second being that it was the holidays, third being that due to my schedule, I didn’t work a normal shift. I worked nights, and slept in the morning. Most people were probably either on vacation or at work right now. I knew my floor was all but empty as it was.

 

I headed for the stairwell down, heading from the fifth floor down. However, the heat and smoke coming off what looked like the first two floors was gonna be a problem. There was another stairwell at the other end of the building, if I could get there…

 

I shoved my way on into the third floor, eyes watering as I headed down the long hallway to the far stairs.

 

The smoke down here was far thicker, and the entire hall was uncomfortably hot for being in the dead of winter. Before I was halfway there, the smoke got worse. Soon my eyes were stinging and I was half blinded as I crouched down, trying to get lower then the smoke, and then I fumbled my way forwards. 

 

I started to choke on the smoke around me, and had a hand on the wall as I tried to crawl. As I got closer to the stairwell, I heard creaking and looked behind me, seeing red and orange on the far side of the hall, back where I came from.

 

I put my face on the floor and breathed, trying to stay out of the smoke. The wooden floorboard was far too warm, and I looked up in panic. If I rushed, I could get the the stairway fast. Pushing up I started running, trying to ignore the smoke that was burning my lungs. About halfway to the stairway, I heard a creak and a crack, and felt the floor beneath me give way, dropping me through the floor into what felt like hell. 

 

I will always remember that moment. The moment of falling. Eyes stinging yet wide as the thick black smoke gave way, showing charred wood and deep red and orange flame. As I panicked, reaching out for anyone.  _ Anything, _ I let loose a scream. As if I called out to it, the flames seemed to reach up, caressing me, enveloping me in a choking wash of ash and flame.

 

The last thing I thought, as the flames reached me…

 

“Save me.”

  
  


When I next remember opening my eyes, It was to laying face down in cool grey ash. I pushed myself up, looking to see there was the burned out husk of a building around me. But… It wasn't my building. It couldn't have been. Where was the mountains, where was the rest of the floor. Where was the parking lot or the fields nearby. This place looks more like a warehouse, or… some big hanger. Not an apartment complex. I patted myself down. Looking at the dark and grey stones and debris around me.

 

How was I alive?

 

“Hmm. You don’t look like a magician.” 

 

I turned to look up at the man who appeared on the edge of the burned-out building. He was tall, with a streak of white through the peak of his brown hair, dressed in a buttoned-up long grey coat and a red and black scarf.

 

“Who are you, and do you know where we are?”

 

He raised an eyebrow. “Ah, we're currently just outside of Gotham. As for who I am, The name is Jason Blood. And from what I can see, you aren't from around here.”

 

“Wait, What?”

 

I looked at him, mind struggling to parse what I just heard. Gotham? Jason Blood was familiar- ETRIGAN! The Demon Etrigan, “Gone gone the form of man-” and all that jazz.

 

He walked closer, taking in the circle of ash I had awoken in and leaning down to pinch and rub some in his hand. “Interesting. I’ve never seen such a strong affinity for Pyromancy. Casting a saving grace spell of this level, with no training?”

 

“Pyromancy? Wait no, back the fuck up, Jason Blood? Gotham? What the _ fuck  _ is going on?” I scrambled to my feet, wincing as I blinked ash and soot from my eyes.

 

“Buckle up son, I think we’re gonna have a long conversation,” he said, feature softening as he saw genuine fear in my expression or something. “Come along. I’ll get you something to drink.”

 

I paused and considered my actions, even as Mr. Blood walked away.

 

Fuck.

 

Sliding my hands into my pockets and sighing I fell into step behind Mr. Blood..

 

_ *And with the dying flames of one life, I was thrust into the next. _

 

_ My name is Spencer Dumas. _

 

_ This is my story.* _

 

* * *

* * *

* * *

**_Three years later_ **

**_About 7AM, LA time… so like Eight or so here?_ **

**_Fucking Timezones._ **

**_June 29th._ **

**_2011_ **

 

I pulled my car, a worn 1996 Ford Explorer, up into a small rest stop somewhere in southern Utah. I think I was less than a dozen miles from Zion National Park. For a moment after pulling into the stop and parking, I just sat there, resting my head on the steering wheel as I tried not to sleep after my ten-hour-long drive from L.A. It had taken longer than I wanted to get out of the city. In one part, it was trying to avoid getting caught by any of the three competing groups who wanted the very nice leather bound spell book wrapped up in my glovebox. Another was the fact that even when leaving, L.A. Traffic sucks balls. 

 

Regardless, This was far enough away to get to work. I reached into the cooler lodged under the glove box and fished out the second to the last bottle of the Mountain Dew Expy the DC universe preferred (Grove Sap? Really DC?), and sipped at it, savoring the caffeine it held and trying to not think about L.A.

 

L.A. had sucked. I had been shot at in LA. I had almost died,  _ four separate times _ in L.A. Fuck it. Never again. Next time someone needs me to retrieve something from LAI’mm telling them to go fuck themselves.

 

And I’m pretty sure I have a bounty among the Magic users there, right now. Stealing a high profile Mages Journal is generally considered a bad thing, even if the Mage is ‘Most Assuredly Deceased’. 

 

With a sigh, I hopped out of the car, taking a second to lean against it and stretch, hands ruffling through pockets for my lighter and a pack of smokes. Now, don’t get me wrong. I hate smoking, it gave me Asthma when I was younger. But you can get a pack anywhere, and they provide a perfect excuse to carry a lighter or two, a book of matches, so on, so forth. The fact that the ones I prefer to use have been stripped and filled with Sage and Spice is just a nice change.

 

Though, as a note, I learned the hard way to always keep a few real cigarettes in the pack.

 

Never know when some asshole will try to bum a smoke.

 

I pulled the lighter, a cheap plastic one, from my pocket and ran the wheel a round or two, before using it to light a cigarette. I didn’t breath the smoke in very much, just enough to put out the open flame and let the smoke start rising. With a waved hand and a mental twist to trigger a connection, I let my magic flow through the smoke.

 

Capnomancy can be useful, despite having to learn it from Madame Xanadu.

 

Convincing her to teach me scrying was a bitch.

 

I walked around my car, slowly blowing the smoke to and fro as it hangs in my wake, soon it circles the car completely, hanging low and loose around the frame. I paused and breathed deep, hands flowing through a short series of symbols to focus the smoke on ‘Cleansing’ I watched and noticed the smoke ring around the car stayed solid and distant. Good, no one got a tracking spell off on the car or any of the things I grabbed from L.A. 

 

After Louisiana, I always worry about that. Scrying me off hand would be hard in general, thanks to the charms I wear, but my gear is less lucky. I sighed and picked at the remains of the cigarette, stripping the foam filter out before I reached in the back seat of the car and pulled out a road atlas, opening to the map of Utah.

 

I rubbed the remains of the ash, heat flowing through my hands to evenly burn the last of the paper and herbs, turning it all to a fine ash. Then cupping my hands, I muttered into the ash.

 

“ _ Adsum, Capax Infinitum,”  _ I muttered, letting the map glow in my thoughts, letting my mind burn with the concept of  _ location _ and  _ dimensions _ . _ “ex IgnI scientia,”  _ I slowly breathed out, the pale grey ash dancing from my hand to fall like almost like snow over the map.

 

The ash traced a road heading north, leading up to Salt Lake City. there it seemed to form a sort of  star shape. Now, what was up in Salt Lake that I needed?

 

I pulled the lighter and flicked it on, feeding my magic to shape the flame into a small orb, which I held up equidistant from the paper and my eye, shaping it from a round ball to a flat disk which I moved over the marker for Salt Lake. The image of the atlas shifted in it, revealing a Goblet, intricate and ornate, which flickered before my gaze. Than a sign, a name. Anthony's Antiques and Fine Art.

 

Fun.    
  
I snuffed the lighter and tossed it back in my pocket before looking at the map. Well, my route is already written down. Let's keep it that way. I focused my intent as I reached out, hand hovering over the ash. A short chant in latin, and the dirty cantrip (Thank you Jason Blood) imprinted the ash into the pages, leaving the marks embedded in the atlas.

 

I was just getting ready to hop in the back of the Explorer and take a nap when my phone rang, Voltaire belting out the chorus of  ‘Goodnight Demon Slayer’ .

 

_ “Goodnight demon slayer, goodnight _ __  
_ Now it's time to close your tired eyes _ _  
_ __ There are devils to slay and drag-”

 

I fumbled and finally clicked the answer button. “This is Spencer. What’s up Jason, you usually don’t like to call me.” Think of the goddamn guy and he calls. What a world.

 

_ “Good Morning Spencer. I thought you may still be asleep. _ ” Jason Blood’s calm and collected tone range through the connection.   
  
“Not quite. It’s still yesterday for me, didn’t get a chance to sleep last night,” I mused, looking around and circling the Explorer before pulling open the trunk and sorting through my gear, phone pinned to my shoulder as I talked. “Jason, is this a call for pleasure for you to discuss current affairs and magic world gossip with your student? Or am I about to agree to an errand?”   
  


_ “Business would be more accurate.”  _ Jason sounded outright amused. Great. Fucking Wonderful.

 

“Joy. What do you need?” I asked, shoving two rune covered baseball bats, and the last of a third that had broken off past the handle and was still bloodstained with something green and crusty aside and opening a wooden box to sort through my spice collection.

 

_ “I know you’re in the south-west, though not quite sure where. But there's a possible incident brewing in Utah. I have heard rumors that The Amulet of Atem has once again resurfaced. Something like that is going to draw attention from someone sooner or later, I need you to acquire and seal it, before delivering it to a proper holding facility. Perhaps Minnesota.” _

 

For a moment I sighed, looking upwards as I wanted to scream. I knew that this ‘I owe you for setting me up with what I needed’ shit was going to get real annoying. Biting off the rant I wanted to unleash, I shut the box and shoved it aside.   
  
“Fine. I’m… maybe 12 hours out. And that's including a six hour power nap. You got an address where I should start my search, or am I winging it?”

 

_ “It should be in an auction house… Ah, here it is. Anthony’s Antiques and Fine Art, 400 east, 200 south, Salt Lake City.” _ __  
__  
“Good. Great. I’ll Get the Amulet as soon as I can. I’ll… call you when I got it. Bye.” I rested my head on the grimey corner of the Explorer, ending the call as I did so.

 

“Oh My god, what is my fucking luck,” I moaned into the metal, before cracking an eye and reaching out to grab the laptop, my replacement since my original one was all but destroyed months ago.

 

I just knew, deep in my gut, that this was going to be a goddamn cluster fuck.

 

I pulled out a notepad, and started jotting down what i needed to research.   
  
Amulet of Atem   
Magic supply and users in SLC   
Lay out of the auction house.   
Map out of SLC for when shit goes wrong.

 

Clicking the pen closed, I sighed and finished booting up my laptop, closing the trunk as I all but collapsed into the back seat.

 

Better go in with all the info I can get.

 

“Alright, definately-not-Google. Lets see what we can find.”

**Author's Note:**

> Comment's, Kudo's, or Fanart is always welcome! Or come visit me on my Tumblr (http://roguedruid.tumblr.com)! or come chat with me on my discord!
> 
> [DISCORD!](https://discord.gg/x5DJUpA)  
> And if you really like and want to support my work, You can always buy me a coffee. though my Ko-fi, links in the discord.  
> 


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